Treatment for bile duct cancer usually aims to control the symptoms for as long as possible. But if it's caught early enough, there's sometimes a chance it could be cured.

The main treatments are:

surgery to remove the affected area

stent insertion – an operation to widen and unblock the bile duct

chemotherapy– where medication is used to kill the cancer cells

radiotherapy–where a beam of radiation is used to kill the cancer cells

In early stage bile duct cancer, a cure may be possible by removing the affected part of the bile duct and gallbladder, and usually some of the liver or pancreas.

A cure is unlikely to be possible in more advanced cancer, but stenting, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery can help relieve the symptoms.

Surgery

If it's possible to cure your cancer, surgery to remove the cancerous tissue will be recommended.

Depending on exactly where the cancer is, it may be necessary to remove:

the part of your bile duct that contains cancerous cells

your gallbladder

nearby lymph glands

part of your liver

part of your pancreas

Surgery may be carried out through a single large incision (cut) in your tummy, or occasionally by using special surgical instruments inserted through smaller incisions (called "keyhole" or laparoscopic surgery).

It's possible to live a normal life after surgery. You can live without a gallbladder, and surgeons can often reconstruct bile ducts. Your liver should still work even if part of it was removed.

Overall, around one or two in every five people who have surgery for bile duct cancer live at least five years or more after their operation.

Unblocking the bile duct

If your bile duct becomes blocked as a result of cancer, treatment to unblock it may be recommended.

Radiotherapy

Like chemotherapy, radiotherapy is occasionally used with the aim of relieving symptoms, slowing the spread of the cancer and prolonging life, although it's not clear how effective it is in bile duct cancer.

It's usually given using a machine that carefully aims a beam of radiation at the cancerous area.